hotmtlnovel Chapter 1531 Human Relationships
Chapter 1531 Human Relationships
Chapter 1531 Human Relationships
The three-day New Year's Day holiday passed in the blink of an eye, and the festive atmosphere grew stronger. The employees of Xingyao Media, still feeling relaxed after the holiday, returned to their posts one after another. Qin Hao, dressed in a smart casual suit, sensed something was wrong as soon as he entered the company gate. Usually, Liu Mengyao would rarely arrive this early, but today she was sitting upright on the sofa next to the reception desk, playing with her phone with her fingers, her expression calm, yet exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Qin Hao was taken aback for a moment, and was about to go forward to greet her when Liu Mengyao stood up first, walked straight to the center of the office area, raised her hand and clapped her hands, attracting everyone's attention.
The once noisy office area instantly fell silent, and all the employees' eyes were focused on her.
Liu Mengyao glanced at the entire room and said, "Everyone, I have something to tell you. From today onwards, Qin Hao and I are just friends. No one is allowed to joke about our romantic relationship anymore."
A single sentence, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattered the tranquility of the office area. For a moment, the entire office fell silent; even breathing became exceptionally soft.
Several seconds passed before a series of deliberately suppressed gasps could be heard. The employees looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt. Finally, all eyes fell on Qin Hao, who had just walked in, a mixture of curiosity, gossip, and worry.
Liu Mengyao seemed oblivious to everyone's unease, clapped her hands again, and said in a calm tone, even with a hint of playfulness: "As you can see, I dumped him. But in business, we are still good partners, and it won't affect the company's normal operation."
She paused, then turned her gaze to Qin Hao, her tone becoming more serious: "The company's daily management will still be entirely handled by President Qin. You all do what you're supposed to do, and no shirking your responsibilities. Okay, that's all I wanted to say. Go back to your work."
After saying that, Liu Mengyao ignored everyone's reactions and Qin Hao, walked confidently into her private office, and slammed the door shut, leaving a room full of employees looking at each other in bewilderment, and Qin Hao standing there in place.
Qin Hao shook his head helplessly, while secretly admiring Liu Mengyao's decisiveness and lack of hesitation.
The employees in the office secretly glanced at Qin Hao out of the corner of their eyes, and no one dared to speak easily, for fear of touching a "minefield".
Qin Hao took a deep breath and waved to everyone: "What are you looking at? President Liu has made everything clear. Let's get back to work."
Everyone then seemed to wake from a dream, quickly lowered their heads, and got busy with their own tasks. However, there were still occasional furtive glances that wandered back and forth between Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao's offices.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Hao finally walked to Liu Mengyao's office door in full view of everyone and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in." Liu Mengyao's slightly hoarse voice came from the office, her emotions unreadable.
Qin Hao pushed open the door and walked in. He immediately saw Liu Mengyao sitting behind her desk, her eyes slightly red, clearly having been crying. Hearing the noise, Liu Mengyao looked up. Seeing that it was Qin Hao, she instantly concealed the vulnerability in her eyes, raised her chin, and snorted, "What? Now that I've decided to give you up, you can't bear to? You men are really hypocritical."
Qin Hao cleared his throat, avoiding her topic, and said in a calm tone, "I've prepared a plan for a special Spring Festival event, and I sent it to your email last night. Take a look and see if there's anything that needs to be changed. We can discuss it further."
Liu Mengyao snorted sullenly, reluctantly turned on her computer, and opened the project proposal in her email. Seeing that the email was sent at around 2 a.m. last night, her face instantly darkened, and she said angrily, "I just 'broke up' with you last night, and you still have the mind to work on a project proposal? You're really cold-blooded."
Qin Hao shrugged, looking completely innocent: "We've never dated, so how could we have broken up?"
"You!" Liu Mengyao was speechless, glared at Qin Hao angrily, and said through gritted teeth, "It's a good thing I didn't talk to you. You're a bastard, you have no humanity at all."
"So," Qin Hao smiled, his tone relaxed, "you should be glad you saw through my true colors so early, so you won't regret it later."
"Get lost!" Liu Mengyao grabbed a pen from the table and waved it at Qin Hao. "I don't need you to pretend to be kind and comfort me. There are plenty of men chasing after me, enough to stretch from Guangzhou to Shenzhen. I don't need you."
Qin Hao smiled knowingly, stopped teasing her, and turned around to say, "Then you can look at the plan first. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I'll go out now."
After saying that, she gently closed the office door, leaving Liu Mengyao alone in front of the computer screen, her eyes filled with grievance once again.
From then on, Liu Mengyao never again met with Qin Hao alone. Even when it came to work-related matters, she would arrange to meet in a meeting room beforehand, and would also invite relevant employees to join, never spending time alone with Qin Hao, deliberately keeping her distance.
This scene brought a sigh of relief to anchors like Wang Rong and Li Na, as well as other employees of the company.
After all, Liu Mengyao is the company's major shareholder, while Xingyao Media was built by Qin Hao himself, who is also the company's core manager. If the two really turn from love to hate and have a major falling out, the company might just fall apart. At that point, the good days for those of them who rely on the company for their livelihood and have finally found stable and promising jobs will be over.
However, this calm did not last long. Qin Hao's proposal for a special Spring Festival event quickly put all the employees of Xingyao Media at ease, and everyone threw themselves into their busy work. Even Liu Mengyao put aside her personal feelings and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the preparations.
At this time, there was still a month until the Spring Festival, but Qin Hao's Spring Festival special sale was going to last for seven days, covering the peak purchasing period before New Year's Eve and the leisure consumption period during the Spring Festival.
This special event required a wide variety of goods, covering multiple categories such as alcohol, snacks, Spring Festival supplies, children's clothing, and home goods, and involved contacting dozens of merchants. Each merchant required repeated negotiations on prices, confirmation of inventory, and finalization of delivery times and after-sales guarantees; no detail could be overlooked.
In addition, Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao had to repeatedly negotiate the specific plan for the event with the Mogujie platform—the level of traffic support from the platform, the setting of exclusive coupons, the recommended positions for the live stream, and the promotional methods for the event. Every detail required Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao to personally coordinate and communicate repeatedly.
After all, this Spring Festival special event is not only related to Xingyao Media's performance breakthrough, but also to Mogujie's financial performance in the first quarter of next year, so both parties attach great importance to it.
This Spring Festival special was arguably the ultimate test of the entire Xingyao Media team's teamwork and execution. The operations team had to liaise with merchants, organize product information, and develop livestream scripts; the broadcasting team had to familiarize themselves with each product, practice their delivery, and adapt to the pace of livestreaming during the Spring Festival; the technical team had to debug equipment, ensure smooth livestreaming, and edit promotional videos; and the customer service team had to familiarize themselves with the products in advance and prepare for after-sales inquiries. The entire company was united and working feverishly, making even a moment to drink water feel incredibly precious.
The preparation process was not without its challenges. Several liquor suppliers backed out at the last minute, wanting to raise their prices; a snack supplier couldn't guarantee on-time delivery due to logistical constraints during the Spring Festival; and the Mogujie platform also considered adjusting its traffic support plan due to requests from other partners. Each unexpected situation could have affected the smooth operation of the Spring Festival special event.
Fortunately, Qin Hao is experienced and decisive. Whenever a problem arises, he will mediate immediately, soothing the merchants' emotions, negotiating solutions, and communicating with the Mogujie platform to secure maximum support.
Liu Mengyao also fully utilized her resources to connect with several high-quality liquor suppliers, resolving the supply issues. With their combined efforts, all unexpected situations were resolved, and preparations for the Spring Festival special event proceeded smoothly.
Hard work pays off. After a month of intensive preparation, Xingyao Media's special Spring Festival live stream launched as scheduled. Six hosts took turns broadcasting for more than six hours each day, explaining products, giving away freebies, and interacting with fans. The atmosphere in the live stream room was exceptionally lively.
Although minor issues such as network lag and insufficient inventory occasionally occurred during the live stream, they were all successfully resolved thanks to the timely responses of Qin Hao and his team.
When the final live stream ended and the back-end system tallied the final sales figures, the entire company erupted in cheers—the Spring Festival special had achieved a total sales volume exceeding 3.5 million yuan, setting a new record for Xingyao Media since its inception!
Among them, alcoholic beverages contributed the most sales, becoming the "main force" of this special event. Three baijiu brands, thanks to the consumption demand during the Spring Festival, coupled with the professional explanations and exclusive discounts from the livestreamers, contributed one-third of the sales. The other two red wine brands, with their high-end positioning and excellent taste, also contributed one-fifth of the sales.
The remaining sales revenue was more diversified, including snacks suitable for the whole family, Spring Festival couplets, "Fu" characters, and lanterns, which are essential for the Spring Festival, as well as children's clothing. Each category achieved good results.
The astonishing sales figures of Xingyao Media's Spring Festival special event were quickly included in Mogujie's latest financial report. This impressive performance not only caused a slight increase in Mogujie's stock price but also instantly attracted considerable capital investment to Xingyao Media. In a short time, numerous investment banks proactively contacted Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao, expressing interest in investing in Xingyao Media, and the valuations they offered steadily climbed.
However, Qin Hao did not budge from the investment bank's offer. Xingyao Media already possessed strong self-sustaining capabilities, its live-streaming e-commerce model was mature, and its anchor network was gradually being perfected; therefore, the need for financing was not urgent. Accepting financing too early would not only dilute his and Liu Mengyao's shares but could also impose constraints on capital, affecting the company's development pace.
Liu Mengyao's view on this matter was completely consistent with Qin Hao's. For her, a valuation of several hundred million yuan was not swaying her at all; what she valued more was the long-term development of Xingyao Media.
The Spring Festival special event came to a successful close. All the employees were exhausted, but also filled with a sense of accomplishment. Qin Hao gathered all the employees, stood in the center of the office area, and said with a smile, "Alright, let me say a few words. Logistics will officially stop operating tomorrow, and the company will also be on holiday starting tomorrow. Spend some time with your families at home. As for the resumption date, it's set for the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Everyone be back to work on time. Anyone who's late will miss out on their opening bonus, so don't regret it later."
After speaking, Qin Hao paused, noticing that his employees were still staring at him with wide eyes and expectant expressions, showing no sign of leaving. He couldn't help but laugh and asked, "What, is that all? What else do you want to hear?"
Wang Rong was the first to stand up, winked playfully, and said with a smile, "Boss, weren't we supposed to say a few words? There's still one more to say!"
Other employees chimed in, joining in the commotion, and the office area returned to its lively atmosphere.
Qin Hao cleared his throat and said in a deliberately serious tone, "Alright, since you all want to hear it so much, I'll say it again. Happy New Year, everyone! Wishing you good health and all the best. Also, your year-end bonuses have all been deposited into your bank accounts. Please check them when you get home."
"Yay! Long live President Qin!"
"President Qin, I love you!"
"Mr. Qin, you look especially handsome today!"
The employees cheered instantly, their fatigue vanishing. They swarmed around Qin Hao, offering their blessings. Some of the livestreamers even took the opportunity to tease him, creating a lively scene. Surrounded by a group of beautiful women, Qin Hao chuckled helplessly and said, "Don't praise me anymore, or I'll get cocky. Our company is a bit too female-dominated right now. Looks like we'll have to hire more handsome guys next year to balance the gender ratio."
"Hahahaha..." A burst of hearty laughter rang out in the office area, and everyone's face was filled with relaxed and happy smiles.
The laughter gradually subsided, and the employees packed up their things, said goodbye to Qin Hao and Liu Mengyao, and happily left the company. Once most of the company staff had left, Qin Hao also packed his things and prepared to leave. Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
"Come in," Qin Hao said.
Liu Mengyao pushed open the door and walked in. She had changed into casual clothes, which made her look less capable in the workplace and more charming as a young girl.
"You're on holiday, what are your plans?"
Qin Hao thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "What other arrangements could there be? Lying at home gathering dust, does that count?"
Liu Mengyao chuckled and rolled her eyes: "Could you be any more boring? You finally get a holiday, and you just lie at home all day. What a waste."
"I'm really exhausted lately," Qin Hao stretched, looking tired. "I need to rest for a while. Please refrain from any activities that require mental or physical exertion."
Liu Mengyao puffed out her cheeks, looking disappointed: "This is boring. Forget it, I won't force you. I'll go out and have fun by myself."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.
"Yes, Happy New Year," Qin Hao said softly to her retreating figure.
Liu Mengyao paused, but without turning around, she waved her hand and said with a hint of disdain, "Old-fashioned."
Qin Hao watched her retreating figure, smiled, then picked up his bag and left the company.
For the first few days of the holiday, Qin Hao did exactly as he said, staying home and completely embracing "stay-at-home mode." Every morning he would wake up naturally, have breakfast, and then either read a book at home or practice some boxing in the community garden to get some exercise.
That day, Qin Hao had just woken up from his afternoon nap and was sitting on the sofa, drinking warm water and reading a book, when his phone suddenly rang.
Picking up her phone, she saw the caller ID: "What a rare guest! What brings you here today to call me?"
On the other end of the phone came Liang Danning's languid voice, slightly hoarse from just waking up: "Someone seems to have forgotten that they still owe me a meal. Are they trying to skip out on the bill?"
Qin Hao smiled and shook his head, his tone relaxed: "You guys are on holiday?"
"How did you know?" Liang Danning asked, somewhat surprised.
"Just guessing," Qin Hao teased. "If it weren't for the holiday, where would you find the time to call me begging for food?"
On the other end of the phone, Liang Danning stuck out her tongue guiltily, but still retorted, "Hmph, it's not that I wanted to eat it, it's that Zhao Mei was craving it and insisted that I call you. I had no choice but to call."
Qin Hao saw through her little trick at a glance, but didn't expose her. He casually said, "Alright, for Zhao Mei's sake, I'll grant your request. Tell me, what do you want to eat? You decide on the place."
Liang Danning's eyes lit up, and her tone instantly became excited: "Hmm... I'll take you to a really delicious hot pot place near my house. The taste is super authentic, how about it?"
Qin Hao chuckled and teased, "Hot pot? Are you trying to save me money?"
"Hmph, expensive doesn't necessarily mean delicious," Liang Danning said sullenly, her tone tinged with resentment. "Anyway, this hot pot place is definitely better than the one Liu Mengyao found last time. You'll see when you get there."
"Okay, whatever you say." Qin Hao said with a smile, "Send me the address, I'll pack up and head over right away."
"Okay, I'll send it to you now." Liang Danning hung up the phone after saying that, and soon Qin Hao received the address she sent on WeChat.
Qin Hao tidied himself up, changed into a casual jacket, and went out. Following the address sent by Liang Danning, he took a taxi through the densely populated alleys of the residential area, where various stalls lined both sides, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
A dozen minutes later, we finally arrived at the hot pot restaurant that Liang Danning had mentioned.
The shop wasn't big, but it was simply decorated yet clean and tidy. Several tables were set up at the entrance, and they were already full of customers, indicating that business was booming. As soon as Qin Hao reached the door, he saw Liang Danning and Zhao Mei, dressed in simple casual clothes, bustling around the shop, helping to serve dishes and clear tables with practiced ease.
Qin Hao couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. He stepped forward and asked with a smile, "When did you two become so enthusiastic? You're even helping the boss with his work. This isn't like you at all."
Zhao Mei looked up, saw Qin Hao, smiled, and said half-jokingly, "Don't misunderstand, we're not being helpful. This restaurant is so busy that the owner can't keep up. If we don't help serve the food faster, we won't be able to get a seat and will have to stand and wait."
Upon hearing this, Liang Danning's shoulders trembled slightly, clearly suppressing a laugh, but she dared not laugh out loud. She simply lowered her head and continued tidying the table, pretending to be busy.
Qin Hao, being extremely astute, saw through their trick immediately and bluntly exposed them, saying, "Come on, stop pretending with me. This must be your auntie, right?"
Liang Danning suddenly raised her head, her mouth agape, her face filled with disbelief and her eyes wide with surprise: "You... how did you know?"
Zhao Mei, who was standing to the side, quickly waved her hand and subconsciously clarified, "I never told him this was your shop. Qin Hao, you're too amazing! How did you guess?"
Liang's mother, who was busy nearby, heard their conversation and came over. With a kind smile on her face, she looked at Qin Hao with some surprise: "Young man, how do you know she's my daughter? We don't think we've met before."
Qin Hao smiled and explained, half-jokingly, "I guessed. Liang Danning looks about six or seven points like you. You're both great beauties, and you can tell at a glance that you're mother and daughter. Besides, Liang Danning isn't the kind of person who would easily help strangers. The way you two were working together just now, you seemed to have a lot of chemistry, like it wasn't the first time you'd worked together."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Liang's smile widened, and she couldn't stop laughing: "Hahaha, young man, you have good taste! When I was young, I was the most beautiful woman in Guangzhou, and I had so many suitors..."
"Mom!" Liang Danning couldn't stand it anymore. Her cheeks flushed red, and she quickly stepped forward, pushing her mother's arm and leading her towards the kitchen. "You should go to the kitchen and prepare the ingredients. The guests are waiting, and we'll be too busy to handle everything in a bit."
Mother Liang smiled and nodded. Before leaving, she turned back to look at Qin Hao, her eyes full of satisfaction. She whispered to Liang Danning, "This young man is good. He's handsome and articulate. You should make the most of him."
Liang Danning's face turned even redder, and she quickly pushed her mother into the kitchen, not daring to look back at Qin Hao.
Zhao Mei suppressed a laugh and led Qin Hao to a newly cleaned dining table. She sat down and said with a smile, "President Qin, you're really something. You made Auntie so happy with just one sentence."
Qin Hao smiled and shrugged: "How was it? Not bad, right?"
"Hmm, quite good." Zhao Mei nodded and said with a smile, "I'd give you 99 points. I'm deducting one point because I was afraid you'd get too proud and start to get cocky."
As the two were talking, Liang Danning came out of the kitchen carrying a small stove. Her face was still flushed, and she said with a hint of reproach, "Move aside, make way, be careful not to burn yourself."
Qin Hao and Zhao Mei quickly moved aside, and Liang Danning placed the small stove in the center of the table before turning to the kitchen to fetch ingredients. Soon, Liang's mother also brought out a large plate of beef, mutton, vegetables, meatballs, and other ingredients, placing them on the table and thoughtfully pouring tea for the three of them.
"Young man, what's your name again?" Liang's mother asked with a smile as she sat to the side, "How did you meet my Danning?"
Liang Danning was instantly embarrassed and quickly tugged at her mother's arm, saying anxiously, "Mom, I've already told you, we're just ordinary friends, don't ask such questions. Oh dear, you should go to the kitchen and get busy, the customers will be asking for the order soon."
"Alright, alright, I know," Liang's mother complained. "Honestly, you're so old and you don't care about your marriage at all. I'm worried about you."
After saying that, he reluctantly left the dining table and went into the kitchen to get busy.
Liang Danning blushed deeply, lowered her head, and clutched the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands. She didn't dare to look at Qin Hao, her cheeks so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
Seeing this, Zhao Mei quickly came to her rescue and changed the subject: "Qin Hao, it's like this, there's an opportunity now, the sales department is hiring, and Liang Danning wants to give it a try. I've never done sales before, so I was thinking of asking for your opinion..."
Qin Hao glanced at Liang Danning, who was still looking down, and a smile appeared on his lips. He said half-jokingly, "Liang Danning, you're too good at managing your finances, aren't you? You need my help and you still want me to treat you to a meal. You're really calculating."
Liang Danning raised her head, trying to appear calm: "That's why I chose such a cheap place."
"That won't do." Qin Hao said seriously, "In sales, the most important thing is to be tactful and know how to maintain proper boundaries. If you don't even understand this most basic principle, I think you should give up on sales as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Liang Danning's resentment vanished instantly: "Fine, this meal is on me, okay? It's just hot pot, I can afford it."
"Hey, that's more like it." Qin Hao laughed and shouted loudly towards the kitchen, "Auntie, bring out all your most expensive dishes."
Liang Danning's eyes widened instantly, as if she could see the money in her pocket flying away before her eyes. She felt extremely distressed, but she couldn't back out. She could only glare fiercely at Qin Hao and say angrily, "Alright, can you tell me now?"
"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." Qin Hao's smile faded. "Actually, sales can be simple or difficult. The key is not how much product knowledge you have, but how you grasp the customer's pain points."
Zhao Mei nodded thoughtfully, placed a piece of beef she had cooked into Qin Hao's bowl, and asked softly, "So how can we grasp the customer's pain points?"
Liang Danning also raised her head, looking at Qin Hao with anticipation and curiosity in her eyes. Clearly, she also wanted to know the answer.
Qin Hao dipped the cooked beef into the sauce, put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and after swallowing it, he said slowly, "This question is too broad. Even if I explain it to you, you won't understand, and it will be a waste of time."
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Hao sensed a strong killing intent. Liang Danning put down her chopsticks, glared at him fiercely, and said through gritted teeth, "Are you playing us?"
Qin Hao shrugged, looking completely innocent: "See, you don't believe me even though I told you. Let me give you an example. It's like playing football. Everyone knows that you score a goal and win the game by putting the ball in the net. But often, a 90-minute game goes by without a single goal."
He paused, then continued, "There are many factors involved here: the players' individual abilities, physical condition, team tactics and coordination, even the weather and field conditions. Each of these factors can affect the outcome of the game. It's the same with sales. Grasping the customer's pain points may seem like a simple five-word phrase, but it contains a lot of skills and cannot be explained in just a sentence or two."
Liang Danning frowned thoughtfully, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "Could you tell me specifically how to get customers to buy my wine? This can't be a broad question, can it?"
Qin Hao smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "It's very simple, just four words: cater to their preferences."
Zhao Mei and Liang Danning exchanged a glance and both rolled their eyes at Qin Hao.
"Qin Hao, you're playing us again!" Liang Danning said angrily.
Qin Hao's smile faded, and he said in a serious tone, "Don't underestimate these four words. If you can truly achieve this, you can win over 95% of your clients."
Zhao Mei and Liang Danning both fell into deep thought upon hearing this, their dissatisfaction gradually fading and replaced by seriousness. After a moment, Zhao Mei asked again, "What about the other 5% of clients? What if we encounter those stubborn, difficult clients?"
Qin Hao's lips curled into a sly smile as he slowly said, "The other 5% of customers don't get to hear the content for free. If you want to know the answer, next time, you two will have to treat me to dinner, and it can't be such a cheap hot pot meal again."
Liang Danning: "..."
She was furious at Qin Hao's inscrutable expression, but there was nothing she could do but glare at him fiercely.